Daily Wilderness News Clips

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Spice Run Wilderness: Truly wild, wonderful W.Va.

Charleston Gazette (WV)
Rick Steelhammer
October 31st, 2009

Simply getting to West Virginia's wildest wilderness area is an adventure in itself.

No roads lead into the newly created Spice Run Wilderness, a 10-square-mile expanse of the Monongahela National Forest straddling the Greenbrier-Pocahontas county line northwest of Neola. Once you find your way to the edge of the wilderness, there are no trails to guide you into its interior.

California Desert Protection Act Turns 15

Public News Service (CA)
October 30th, 2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Tomorrow is the 15-year anniversary of the California Desert Protection Act. The legislation protects 7.7 million acres of California desert and remains the largest wilderness and national park bill in the history of the lower 48 states. When President Bill Clinton signed the act, baby desert tortoises crawled on his desk to symbolize the protection being brought to the area.

Council supports NCA designation for Gold Butte

Desert Valley Times (NV)
Bob Challinor
October 30th, 2009

A local conservation group praised city council approval Tuesday of a resolution supporting legislative designation of the Gold Butte Complex as a National Conservation Area with wilderness as a sign of progress.

The unanimously-passed resolution also urged Congress "to enact these designations and mandate that an effective management plan be implemented that secures the interests of neighboring jurisdictions."

Tug-of-war over future of public land in Mojave Desert far from over, despite sweeping protections

The Press-Enterprise (CA)
Janet Zimmerman
October 29th, 2009

Fifteen years have passed since the historic California Desert Protection Act set aside millions of unspoiled acres as wilderness, elevated Joshua Tree and Death Valley to national park status and created the Mojave National Preserve.

The legislation was the largest land conservation bill in the continental United States, hailed for its safekeeping of a long-ignored 6.37 million acres of landscape that counts "singing" sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones and world-class climbing boulders among its attractions.

Oregon wilderness proposals clear House committee

The Oregonian (OR)
Matthew Preusch
October 28th, 2009

Bills to create a wilderness area in southern Oregon and give greater protections to the Molalla River passed out of a House committee today.

The Devil's Staircase proposal, championed by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., would designate 29,650 acres of Coast Range forest as wilderness, the highest level of protection for federal lands.

And a bill from Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., would grant greater protections to a 21-mile section of the Molalla River under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act Before Congress Would Protect Over 61,000 Acres

The Watch (CO)
October 28th, 2009

TELLURIDE - Three months after unveiling draft legislation that would protect large swaths of public lands in San Miguel, San Juan and Ouray Counties at the request of local governments and conservation groups, U.S. Rep John Salazar introduced the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Bill to the U.S. House of Representatives last week.

Officials surprised Baucus backs wilderness bill

Bozeman Daily Chronicle (MT)
October 28th, 2009

Commissioners in Beaverhead and Madison counties were surprised when U.S. Sen. Max Baucus signed on as a co-sponsor to U.S. Sen. Jon Tester's wilderness bill.

Commissioners from both southwestern Montana counties said they thought they had an agreement with Baucus that he would not voice any support for the bill until local governments were comfortable with it.

In part, the bill would set aside 505,000 acres of land as wilderness and require the U.S. Forest Service to harvest at least 7,000 acres of timber per year for 10 years.

Rajneeshee commune could become wilderness

KGW.com News Channel 8 (Portland, OR)
Associated Press
October 28th, 2009

ANTELOPE, Ore. -- A swap involving land at the site of the former Rajneeshee commune could lead to the creation of two new wilderness areas in Central Oregon.

The Bulletin newspaper of Bend reports that a Christian-based summer camp is working on the exchange that would also make roughly 15,000 acres of popular hunting grounds accessible to the public.

The trade would need to be approved by Congress.

Talking about trees: Tester discusses forest, jobs bill in Missoula

The Missoulian (CO)
Rob Chaney
October 27th, 2009

Sen. John Tester started his day in Missoula with good news from fellow Sen. Max Baucus: The senior member of Montana's congressional delegation had co-signed the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act.

He followed that with a packed open house, at the Doubletree Hotel, on the draft legislation. Rather than have the audience address the room at large, Tester's staff set up tables and people delivered their comments one-on-one. About 150 people attended.

Ralston heralds wilderness plan to block ‘extractive development’

The Colorado Independent (blog)
David O. Williams
October 27th, 2009

AVON - Colorado mountaineer Aron Ralston, famous for a bouldering mishap in Utah which he survived by amputating his own forearm, has been touring the state with other recreation proponents pushing for a huge new wilderness proposal called Hidden Gems.

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